Why "America's Grape" Is Actually Croatian
This issue was published on October 11, 2023.
Happy Wine Wednesday!
I have a trip to Napa Valley coming up soon, so we’re doing a deep dive into zinfandel today and then I’m bringing back my conversation with Lynn Phelps Finch, the daughter of Napa’s iconic Joseph Phelps. It’ll be my first time going back to Joseph Phelps Vineyards in St. Helena since it was acquired by LVMH (and my husband’s first time, period) so I’m really curious to see how it might have changed….
So pour yourself a glass and let’s get our wine nerd on!
Zinfandel
A Croatian Grape with Many Names
Before California became cabernet sauvignon nation in 1998, zinfandel was actually the most widely planted red grape in the state! Even though it’s often called “America’s grape,” it actually doesn’t come from the U.S. at all – although it is where it got the name “zinfandel.”
It wasn’t until the 90’s that they discovered that the California grape’s origins goes back to the 1830s when it was imported from Croatia (or the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as it was at the time). During and before the Middle Ages, the grape, called tribidrag, grew all over the Dalmatian coast of Croatia (located in the southwest by the Adriatic Sea) before being called crljenak kaštelanski in modern times. How it went from tribidrag to crljenak kaštelanski to zinfandel is unknown… And to add to the confusion, when the grape landed in southern Italy where it’s now mainly grown in Puglia (located at the “heel” of the boot), it came to be known as primitivo. Completely different names but the same red grape!
Some of the oldest vineyards in California are planted with zinfandel and many of those vines over a hundred years old continue to flourish in areas like Sonoma and Amador County! These old, twisted, and gnarly vines are not very productive but the grapes that do grow make rich and deep wines. You might see terms like “old vine” on labels, as many producers pride themselves on their old zinfandel vines. There’s actually no legal definition of “old,” but most winemakers suggest that the zinfandel vine becomes “old” after forty, so “old vine” usually means that the wine comes from a vineyard that has continually produced wine for at least forty years – if not more than a hundred!
While zinfandel does grow across the state, it tends to grow best where it’s a little bit warmer, like in Amador, El Dorado, Mendocino, Paso Robles, and Lodi. Outside of California (and Italy and Croatia), you’ll also find zinfandel in Australia, Chile, and South Africa.As a thin-skinned grape, wouldn’t zinfandel (like its friend pinot noir) prefer being cooler?
The small, thin-skinned zinfandel is notorious for uneven ripening. When it comes time for harvest, some grapes on the cluster could be perfect, others could already be like raisins, and others could be hard, green, and totally unripe. Turning this uneven cluster into wine would result in a weird sweet and sour sauce instead of wine, so the winemakers usually have to wait for all of the grapes in the bunch to be fully ripe (even if that means some more raisins), leading to higher sugar content in the grapes. The result? High alcohol wines that people tend to love or hate.
Another love/hate aspect of zinfandel is the white (or blush) wines. It looks like a rosé, but was actually created by accident in the early 70’s by Sutter Home when the yeasts in one of their rosé wine tanks died before completing fermentation. This kicked off the trend for this sweet, mild, and cheap pink wine that usually outsells red zinfandel. While Sutter Home actually accounted for almost a third of total dollar sales of white zinfandel in the U.S. in 2018, other producers bottle it as well.I remember many years ago, my boyfriend at the time ordered a white zinfandel (why?) and was really confused when a blush wine arrived. It was…okay. I think the only other time I ever had white zinfandel was when someone gave me a glass of Franzia white zinfandel. Needless to say, not to sound like a massive wine snob, but I never tried it again.
But, the popularity of white zinfandel may have played a role in saving the old zinfandel vines in California today, so I do have to respect that.
Anyway. Moving onto the red stuff.
Red zinfandel is big yet soft, jammy, and dry. You get notes of blackberry and plums, peach, cinnamon, and sweet tobacco. A friend recently told me she hates zinfandel because it’s “too much” in her mouth. If you feel the same way, that would be the high alcohol (it’s typically over 15% ABV, compared to around 14% for syrah or 12% for pinot noir).
If you are a fan of the high alcohol but don’t love the jamminess, try a Primitivo di Manduria from Puglia, Italy. These high alcohol reds still have that earthy, rustic feeling but with less of the jammy notes. Napa Valley zinfandels will typically be more tannic and smoky, while the wines produced in Sonoma, Mendocino, and the Sierra Foothills tend to have higher acidity and red berry notes.
While zinfandel usually isn’t blended, one of the most popular red blends in the US, Prisoner by Orin Swift, is a zinfandel blend with cab, syrah, petite sirah, grenache, and others. Ridge Vineyards also makes a wonderful zinfandel blend with petite sirah and carignane.
Lastly, we can’t forget about food!
Smoky meats and vegetables and BBQ go great with (red) zinfandel. Dishes with caramelized onion, cajun spice, cumin, cardamon, fennel, and curry spice will complement the hearty and bold wine. Similarly, you’ll want bold cheeses like a sharp cheddar or smoked gouda on your cheeseboard. You can also take advantage of the cinnamon notes by pairing zinfandel with Moroccan and Turkish dishes!
Lynn Phelps Finch
Former Co-Owner of Joseph Phelps Vineyards
Merobebe
Tell us a little bit about your involvement with Joseph Phelps Vineyards over the years.
Lynn Phelps Finch
I was about 11 when my father started the winery, so it has been a part of my life for decades. I didn't have much of a role for most of that time until I joined the board about 15 years ago. About 6 - 7 years after that, our father passed away and then I became an owner and that was it. I was really involved in a lot of aspects of the winery until last August when we passed the torch [and sold the winery] to LVMH.
Merobebe
What was it like to grow up around a winery?
Lynn Phelps Finch
I think one of the differences from my childhood is that we would have wine at dinner. My dad would pour a little bit for us and we were expected to taste it and comment on it. I didn't care much for it at all, but I just remember that it was part of our – not everyday dinner, but any time we were in the dining room which meant it was more of an important meal.
Merobebe
How was the transition into being on the board and involved with the winery, especially as a woman – even if this was your family’s winery?
Lynn Phelps Finch
I really had to learn a lot and learn a lot quickly, but I was not intimidated as a woman. I was more intimidated as a person who was behind in my knowledge of the industry. And so, in my particular situation, no. But my daughter is also in the wine business – she produces a sparkling wine brand of her own – and I think that she encounters that quite a bit.
Women have come out in droves and it's been so wonderful. Our head winemaker is a woman and her assistant winemaker is a woman. It seems like every time I pick up a publication or get in my email about wine, there's women being celebrated and so I definitely think that's new. But I also feel like it still is a good old boys network. For example, if you don't own enough vineyard land to make your production, then you're at the mercy of the growers. I don't think that there are a lot of women in that part of the industry, and I think it's still mostly old families that have known each other for two or three generations and it’s kind of a good old boys deal.
I think going on the board was more of a personal learning experience for me. I didn't really feel intimidated as a woman. However later on, once we became owners, I did encounter some of that. Sometimes people just wouldn't believe that I was an owner. And I mean, I don't know whether it's because I was a woman or because my hair was purple! I used to get a lot of that but I really do feel that the tide is turning and it's turning very quickly.
Merobebe
They’re like, She's a woman with purple hair. There's no way she owns a winery!
You mentioned earlier that LVMH acquired Joseph Phelps Vineyard, and a lot of other small wineries are being acquired by larger companies. Do you think this will help wineries and the wine industry long term? Do you have conflicting feelings about it?
Lynn Phelps Finch
Honestly, yes, we did. We did the unthinkable that, up until about two and a half years ago, we wouldn't have even entertained. But there were a lot of reasons why we came to think that it was the best thing that we could do, not only for our family but for the winery as well.
LVMH is a little different – I mean, they are huge. I think they're a little bit different in their approach to buying smaller entities compared to some other large brands. If we hadn't been able to sell to LVMH out of all of the other companies that were interested in us and that we talked to, I don’t think we would have sold. We were assured by looking at their acquisition history and how they had treated the companies that they had taken possession of. We knew that they would preserve our legacy. We knew that they didn't want to turn Insignia [the flagship wine] into a 300,000 case brand, because obviously then the quality wouldn't be there. We knew that they may do some things differently as time goes on. But we are really confident that they're going to preserve the legacy that my father set out to achieve.
But it does seem like at least 2 - 3 times a month, we see that somebody has bought a small winery and I don't think it's a good thing. Consolidation was one of the things that we were really worried about. Most of these companies and venture capital funds will buy a winery, and what they want to do is just squeeze every bit of equity out of it and then get rid of it. I think we've seen it over and over again with brands that were great 30 - 40 years ago, but the wine isn't any good anymore.
So yes, I think consolidation is bad and I think it's bad for the Napa Valley. I don’t think there will be any wineries like Joseph Phelps in 10, 20 years because it's just too difficult. Consolidation was making it hard for even us to compete in things like glass or workers – and there are a lot of [even] smaller wineries out there that are not going to be able to compete.
Merobebe
I think we’re seeing that more in the news not just with wineries but agriculture in general. These smaller farms and producers don’t want to “sell out” but it’s hard not to if that’s the only way to survive.
Lynn Phelps Finch
And you don't want to see your business go up in smoke, right? Yeah.
Merobebe
Speaking of smoke, how did Joseph Phelps adjust to climate change? How do you think that wineries will need to change as fires and flooding increases?
Lynn Phelps Finch
I actually think that things are looking a little brighter on that front. The two fires that did us so much harm were in 2017 and 2020. They determined that the 2017 fires were caused by PG&E’s outdated equipment, and since then they’ve been updating their equipment, cutting trees, and also setting prescriptive fires. There's not much we can do about drought and climate change, but I think there is a lot we can do to prepare for these devastating wildfires. I think that they will get a handle on it eventually.
Drought and climate change is a different story. There's a ton going on right now with water rights – who can use water and who can't. Right now, I know we draw a certain amount of water from the Napa River, but I think they’re going to stop allowing agricultural draw from the river. We have a couple of wells and one went dry after they had been producing for years and years. It’s really a challenge and that’s another reason we had on our pro-sell [to LVMH] because you just can’t do a whole lot about that.
Merobebe
What do you think the wine industry needs to do to better support and empower women?
Lynn Phelps Finch
I think there needs to be more exposure for women in the wine industry at an earlier level and we need to promote the growth of women more. We need to find ways to interest young women in wine and all of the different aspects of the industry, like growing, that are more male-dominated. A lot of it could just be that the tides have to start turning more than they have been.
I think about our head winemaker Ashley and her assistant winemaker, Kelly Fields. It’s like in their genes, and I like to think that they’re that good because they are women.
Merobebe
It's a fact that there are more female supertasters than men, so you might be right!
Lynn Phelps Finch
I think women are different and look upon tasks or how they're going to accomplish their goals differently. It’s hard for me to explain how I feel about Ashley, but I think she's just a part of Insignia. She's been with us for 20 years and made Insignia for 15 years on her own and there's never been a score lower than 92!
So to try and answer your question better, I think that we need to reach out to women and present opportunities. The more great, talented women are presented with opportunities in the industry, the more we can have them be a more integral and bigger part of it.
Get a wine-related movie or book pairing for your weekend.
Today’s pairing is a short story from Wine Enthusiast titled “The Vino Swindler”
Writer Renee Mack shares about her date with a handsome Italian-Brazilian man who was knowledgeable about Puglia and claimed to be the heir to a diamond mine. Early on in the evening, she abandons a barely touched $20 glass of Burgundy for the guy (if I spend $20 on a glass of wine, whoever it is can patiently wait until I’m done, unless there is blood.) The date continues to derail from there…Read about the terrible date here.
Do you have Napa restaurant recommendations?
If you have some Napa Valley restaurant favorites, send them my way at cheers[at]merobebe[dot]com! I’ve got all the wineries sorted out, but still need to figure out where I’ll be eating (priorities).Thank you in advance and see you next Wednesday!
Cheers,
Megumi